Explore the Family Name Benes
The meaning of Benes
1. Czech (Beneš); Slovak (mainly Beneš): from a short form of the personal name Benedikt (see Benedict). This is one of the most common Czech surnames. The homonymous Sorbian cognates B’eńeš and Bjenješ are found in Germanized and Americanized forms, only (see Benesch and Benesh). 2. Croatian (Beneš): from a derivative of the personal name Benedikt (see Benedict). In part, it is of Czech origin (see 1 above).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Benes in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Benes has shown a slight decline over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The ranking of the name dropped by 2.29%, moving from the 12,815th most popular surname in 2000 to the 13,109th in 2010. Despite this drop in rank, the actual number of individuals with the surname Benes increased by 6.13%, from 2,203 in 2000 to 2,338 in 2010. The proportion of this surname in the population per 100,000 also saw a small decrease of 3.66%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,815 | #13,109 | -2.29% |
| Count | 2,203 | 2,338 | 6.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.82 | 0.79 | -3.66% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Benes
Discussing the ethnicity distribution of the surname Benes based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority identifies as White, with a slight decrease from 92.65% in 2000 to 91.49% in 2010. The Hispanic population holding the Benes surname slightly grew from 4.49% to 4.66%. The Black population with this surname showed the most significant growth, increasing by 65.14% over the decade, albeit still representing a small percentage of 1.80%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native were barely represented, each accounting for less than 1% of the total. However, the Asian/Pacific Islander category did see a rise from no representation in 2000 to 1.03% in 2010. Finally, those identifying with two or more races decreased from 1.27% to 0.73%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.65% | 91.49% | -1.25% |
| Hispanic | 4.49% | 4.66% | 3.79% |
| Black | 1.09% | 1.8% | 65.14% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.03% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.27% | 0.73% | -42.52% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.3% | 0% |